A man’s life was saved by members of the RNLI Brighton lifeboat crew after he jumped into the sea from the Palace Pier at 4am this morning (Friday 18 December).
The lifeboat crew were called out after the man was reported to be threatening to jump from the pier.
The volunteer crew carried out a sweep of the sea around the pier but couldn’t see anyone.
When they were searching the area again helmsman Dan Gurr spotted the man jump from the pier.
The crew rescued the man from the water and took him to Brighton Marina, from where the lifeboat launches.
There he was handed over to paramedics from the South East Coast Ambulance Service.
Mr Gurr said: “The gentleman was very lucky this morning as this could have had a very different outcome.
“With the cold months upon us, it didn’t take long for hypothermia to set in.
“By gaining the man’s trust we were able to safely get him back to Brighton Marina and into the care of the ambulance service.”
Launched at 4.07 to reports of a person threatening to jump off @BrightonPier a search was carried when the boat witnessed the man jump 1/2
— Brighton Lifeboat (@RNLIBrighton) December 18, 2015
The man was then picked up by the lifeboat and taken back to @BrightonMarina and handed over to @SECAmbulance #shout #rnli 2/2
— Brighton Lifeboat (@RNLIBrighton) December 18, 2015
The lifeboat is funded entirely by donations. One way to donate is to buy the Brighton crew’s 2016 calendar which costs £10 by emailing your order to brighton@rnli.org.uk.
